WASHINGTON (AP) - The government can limit pilots to working 16 hours a day, an appeals court ruled Friday in rejecting an appeal by the airline industry.

In a ruling that pilots said will bring greater airline safety, a federal appeals court embraced the Federal Aviation Administration (news - web sites)'s view that unscheduled delays should be counted in the 16-hour limitation.

Pretty worthless. I've been on aircraft before when we wait at the gate for 20 minutes or something because the pilots are "resting in the cockpit" because they were overworked the night before due to a weather delay or something.